The Punk Rock Party Slasher On Streaming The Purge Fans Must Watch
There’s only one thing more violent than a crowd killer in a mosh pit, and it’s a group of murderous straight edgers ready to wreak havoc on a house party full of booze, drugs, and a bunch of misfits trying to blow off some steam. While I’ve only taken a couple of elbows to the back of the head while trying to stage dive at hardcore shows (it’s fun, but not a lifestyle I’ve ever fully embraced), I can’t deny how much Straight Edge Kegger is the cinematic version of getting concussed while wearing a pair of Chuck Taylors, but a hell of a lot more bloody.
Writer/director Jason Zink may be about to kick off his found-footage era with the upcoming release of Looky-Loo, but Straight Edge Kegger is the high-water mark of his currently released films, and it’s the perfect combination of guitar feedback and power chords that only crescendo when a house party turns into The Purge in the blink of an eye.
Survival Horror With An Edge
Straight Edge Kegger has all the elements of a perfect B-movie; the actors are unknown, the plot is simple, the gore is totally DIY, and it looks like Zink and company had a ton of fun putting it together after crowdfunding the entire project. Straight Edge Kegger was made by punks, for punks, has an estimated budget of $40,000, and a soundtrack featuring bands like Uglybones (who put on a blistering performance during the opening sequence), Shannon and the Clams, xRepresentx, Noose, Sluts, Televised Suicide, and The Fritz. If you haven’t heard any of these bands before, you’re given fair warning that “THIS FILM SHOULD BE PLAYED LOUD” before the opening credits roll.
Old Habits Die Hard
Straight Edge Kegger introduces Brad (Cory Kays), a 20-something punk who embodies the straight edge lifestyle; no smoking, no drinking, no drugs, and a vow of celibacy. His group of like-minded friends, led by James (Julio Alexander), started attending shows in the area with pure intentions because they wanted to keep skinheads and other hate groups away from the kids who are just looking to see some live music without the threat of unsolicited violence. Brad, the most levelheaded friend in the group, starts to distance himself from the straight edge lifestyle when James gets increasingly aggressive toward anybody who dares to contradict his ethics.
To illustrate this point, James punches Lev Er, the Uglybones singer, in the face for simply singing a song called “Booze Hound” at the end of their set.
Fed up with James’ unwavering commitment to being a total buzzkill, Brad seeks out Sean (Sean Jones), one of the neighborhood party animals, so he could go on a soul-searching journey. This uninhibited exploration of the self leads to Sean going on a massive bender (complete with puking behind a dumpster), and realizing that maybe it’s not so bad to let loose every once in a while.
Punk Rock Meets The Purge
Enjoying his newfound love for life and partying after abandoning his straight edge ways, Brad is invited to a kegger at one of the local punk houses where he encounters his crush, Maybe (Evey Reidy), and the two hit it off immediately. Everything is going great at first– the band is loud, girls are playing Edward 40-hands, and Brad is taking it all in because every single aspect of young-adult life that he deprived himself of up to this point is readily available for him to indulge.
It doesn’t take long for a bunch of masked aggressors (led by James) to crash the party. Armed with rocks, knives, crossbows, and blind with rage, the attackers use a jammer to render everybody’s cell phones useless and begin to systematically slaughter everybody inside the house.
Caught in the middle of a house party with no access to outside help, Brad, Sean, and Maybe realize that they have to fight fire with fire and reclaim the house before James and his goons claim any more lives.
A Self-Aware B-Movie Bloodbath
GFR SCORE
It takes a certain kind of person to enjoy films like Straight Edge Kegger, and I’m definitely one of them. While I’m far from qualified to tell anybody what “real punk” is, I’m inclined to say that bootstrapping a passion project that’s this off-the-wall violent while never losing its sense of humor is about as punk rock as it gets.
If you’ve seen any of the movies in The Purge franchise, Straight Edge Kegger doesn’t really offer anything new. But if you’re already a fan of quick and dirty survival horror flicks and want to see how a group of partying punks handle themselves when all odds are against them, then you’ll find yourself stage-diving off of your couch before you even make it to the second act.
As of this writing, you can stream Straight Edge Kegger for free on Tubi.
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